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Iraq
Saddam was ’inside compound hit by missiles’
2003-03-21
Saddam Hussein was inside the compound destroyed by cruise missiles in the attempted "decapitation strike" on Thursday, US intelligence officials believe. The Iraqi leader was thought to be accompanied by one or both of his sons, Qusai and Odai, when the underground bunker in Baghdad was attacked during the opening hours of the war.
If he was, that was a damned dumbass thing to do...
But intelligence analysts in the US are not certain whether Saddam was killed, injured or escaped, senior Bush administration officials told the Washington Post. "The preponderance of the evidence is he was there when the building blew up," said one official. Another official said Saddam was believed to be "at least injured because medical attention was urgently summoned on his behalf". The condition of his sons, and any others who may have been at the compound, is unknown.
I'd guess that was where Uday came down with his "brain hemorrhage"...
Saddam's appearance on Iraqi TV after the attack was not a surprise because he was believed to have recorded several statements earlier this week in anticipation of early strikes on his hide outs. The attack on the compound indicates the CIA has made contact with people close to Saddam. Senator Pat Roberts, chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said that the information about his whereabouts came from "human intelligence".
They're finally learning — always say that, whether it came from HUMINT or not...
The bunker was part of a secure compound guarded by the Special Security Organisation, which is commanded by Saddam's younger son, Qusai.
Posted by:Bulldog

#13  CNN just had a piture of one of his bedrooms. Gawd! It's so.....GAY!
Posted by: tu3031   2003-03-21 22:44:54  

#12  I have. I thought about that the moment the possiblity of a double was broached.
Posted by: Ptah   2003-03-21 14:14:00  

#11  Did anyone see the movie Dave?
Posted by: Yank   2003-03-21 11:56:31  

#10  I would suspect that everything we see of Saddam is taped previously (before a dead studio audience, ha!). Live broadcasts are too dangerous because they would pinpoint his location.
Posted by: john   2003-03-21 11:43:13  

#9  Colin, that seems to ring true...that it was a dress rehersal and the curtains fell before his little show went on.
Posted by: becky   2003-03-21 11:09:24  

#8  Saddam also sees himself as a figurehead, a lattterday Saladin (in Iraq, I assume it's forbidden to remember he was a Kurd). He'd love to be frustrating the west, even from beyond the "grave". And there's still a family and a regime of loyal supporters to protect. He couldn't assume his sons would go down with him. This could be a double, being used as a Ba'athist tool, as per usual.
Posted by: Bulldog   2003-03-21 11:06:44  

#7  'xactly my thoughts, Angie. At best, he's lightly injured and sedated, with relatives watching the store for him. There's been no coordinated operations on the Iraqui side, almost as if nobody really wants to do anything and be second guessed by Saddam when he revives.

or IF he revives. Would the doctor tell the truth to the sons, given the kind of father they have?
Posted by: Ptah   2003-03-21 11:02:20  

#6  He had 48 hours to prepare a fake tape in case of his death.

However, while that trick can work for Osama, I don't see why it should work for Saddam. Osama's largely just a figurehead; Saddam's the real deal---commander in chief and all. If he and his spawn were dead, who would benefit by keeping up the charade?
Posted by: Angie Schultz   2003-03-21 10:55:25  

#5  Seems to me that the tape may well have been a rehearsal, not because Sammy needed to practice, but to time the speech. This is often done with a first draft of a TV script, which would explain the relative informality. Then when he got whacked they sent somebody for the rehearsal tape.
Not necessarily, the case, maybe, but plausible.
Posted by: Colin   2003-03-21 10:51:49  

#4  "I'd like to thank the Academy, my producer, my director, and most especially my dear sons, without whom none of this would have been possible."
Posted by: Chuck   2003-03-21 09:50:09  

#3  If you were going to plan ahead this way, you'd do a few takes mentioning certain, likely, dates, for added "authenticity". That's easy. Did he mention times or specific details of the attacks? Anything at all besides the date? I didn't hear or read transcripts of the speech, so I don't know. "Saddam" did look very odd to my eyes. When he's on the box again, I hope he's got foreign newspaper front pages taped to his chest or I'll remain suspicious. Hell, I'll still be suspicious.
Posted by: Bulldog   2003-03-21 09:00:47  

#2  Sammy does TV all the time. He does not need a to rehearse. I think we need a plausible explanation of the fact that the Sammy mentioned the date on the tape before jumping to any conclusions. I saw at story that the he CIA authenticated the voice on the tape.
Posted by: JAB   2003-03-21 08:50:12  

#1  Perhaps that tape was actually a rehersal tape he was making for a speech to be performed later. That would account for the disheveled look, the glasses, posture and notepad.
Posted by: mg   2003-03-21 07:41:59  

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